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Zero Packers on NFL.com's All-Under-25 Team

While somewhat of a surprise, the Green Bay Packers did not receive a single representative on NFL.com's All-Under-25 team.

The list, which was formulated by Elliot Harrison of NFL.com and released on Tuesday, picked 11 offensive players, 12 defensive and two from special teams to represent the best the NFL has to offer under 25 years old.

Receiver Randall Cobb (22 years old), tackle Bryan Bulaga (23), cornerback Casey Hayward (23) and safety Morgan Burnett (24) represented the best chances for Green Bay to crack the list, but none of the four were able to overcome worthy competition.

Cobb was beat out by A.J. Green and Dez Bryant, Bulaga by Trent Williams and Tyron Smith, Hayward by Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson and Burnett by Earl Thomas and Reshad Jones.

Just more evidence that TT is not the draft "genius" that every homer claims. ----- In fact, another draft without some young impact talent will guarantee GB is just another team shooting for the playoffs. ---- Don't be shocked when it happens. Your GM has to be elite to field an elite team.

That's true of every team. Take Brady away from the Pats, Eli from the Giants, Ryan from Atlanta, Peyton from Denver or Flacco from Baltimore and all those teams would struggle to compete. And next year when Alex Smith leaves SF, the same will be true for them.

My only point about Smith is that he's an above-average back-up QB. So if you took Kaepernick away from the 49ers, they'd still have Smith, who has been more than servicable for them. That won't be the case next year.

If Denver was run so well they wouldn't have been forced to throw $100 million at a 36-year-old QB coming off 4 neck surgeries. Yes, it worked out for the most part, but that's no way to build a franchise for long-term success.

OMG, so TT is at worst a top seven general manager in the NFL. Seriously? The sky is falling, the sky is falling! You guys are some of the biggest glass is half full downers I've met since doing a bunch of downers in college.

Am I a homer? Yes.

Is being a GB Packer fan better than being a fan of roughly 25 + other teams in the NFL? Yes.

We are and will likely be in contention for a very long time because of the draft decisions that Ted Thompson has made. And dumping Bert.

Could TT be better? Yes.

Are many GM's much worse? Yes. Many.

We will once again have a shot at winning a Super Bowl next year, whether Cow thinks we will or not? Yes.

I'm sure most of those guys mentioned above were drafted in the top 15/20 picks. Packers haven't drafted that high in quite a few years but still they contend at a high level. I think TT does pretty well in the draft considering he has little to no opportunity to pick the top prospects each year.

•13 of 23 position players were picked prior to our pick in the 1st rd (many taken much higher)
•2 of 10 remaining we have studs better than the guys chosen (QB - Rodgers and RG - Sitton)
•2 of now remaining 8 we have good young players in those positions as well (CB - Hayward and S - Burnett)
•1 of remaining 6 is a moron...I'll take Cobb over über-talented head case Bryant any day.
•Leaving 5 early to mid round diamonds (the 2 RBs, Gronk, Bowman, and Atkins) that we missed on...along with virtually every other team that passed on them.

This list also speaks to parity. W/ the Packers drafting at the bottom of each round due to their success it becomes harder and harder to pick difference makers. Let's not forget 23 teams passed on AR, TT had to draft a 2nd and two 3rd round picks to get CM3 and Cobb luckily fell to the last pick of the 2nd round. This shows TT was smart enough to pick them when available.

Point 1 - One guy's opinion of the best under-25 players is evidence of nothing.

Point 2 - I'd put TT up with any other GM in the league. Ozzie Newsome is great, no doubt, especially at targeting aging vets with a little left in the tank. SF has a great collection of talent, but most of it was drafted in the top 10 - I want to see how they fare drafting in the mid-to-late 20s years after year like TT does. The Giants are well run. So is Atlanta. TT isn't perfect, no one is. But I wouldn't trade him for anyone.

To recap: we have the second-highest win percentage in the regular season over the last three years; we have the second-most playoff wins (Ravens now have one more) over the last three years; we are one of only four teams to make the playoffs in each of the last three years;
we have won a superbowl in the last three years.

What team would you rather have rooted for over the last three years?"

If you lived through draft season last year that's all cow could muster to basically any question for about 6 consecutive weeks (he likely never watched the kid play). So in response to some great prospective from 'Idiot Fan' I thought I would give a cow level, in depth rebuttal....Shea McClellin. Low and behold, cow doesn't disappoint by choosing to respond to me with a 'what if', instead of 'Idiot Fan's' post.

I think that TT does an excellent job of keeping the roster fresh with young, hungry players and very low dead money in the cap.

I dont think I'm delusional in supporting TT; but others may disagree. The stats above about win/loss and playoffs speak for themselves; as does the stats that I won't look up, but know exist, that indicate how many plays are produced by players around the league that TT has fingerprints on.

I just don't understand people who say they are 'football' people. Look. Its rather easy. The TOP high school players go the the TOP colleges in Div I. That is how it works. If they play up to potential they get drafted, often in the first or second rounds.

The lesser players in high school go Div II or smaller div I schools, with poorer coaching, ans skill development and end up 5th, 6th, 7th or undrafted rookies.

The later are the guys TT has been picking up a lot. These guys are not play makers, never were, but just bodies and not that talented. They can play backup roles but the Pack have then as first stringers mostly and the results, especially on Defense show clearly.

You get what you get. This Pack team, other that a couple of guys, are not talented.

Quote

"I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious."